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The fog parts in London’s biggest green space to reveal a black panther perched on a mist-shrouded branch, but not all is as it seems.

Two City of London forest keepers were ‘shocked’ at their apparent discovery of a big cat in Epping Forest, which straddles London and Essex.

However, they soon realised they were dealing with a fly-tipper with a sense of humour.

A reward is being offered to find the culprit behind the fly-tipping (Picture: Christine Brassey)

Such behaviour is no laughing matter, however, as 250 tonnes of rubbish was dumped in the forest last year.

City of London Corporation, which runs the forest, is offering a £500 reward to a person of charity who can provide evidence leading to a successful prosecution in court.

While the stuffed toy did not lead to any worried calls to police, the incident has echoes of the hunt for a lion in Essex in August 2012. Detectives later called off the search, conceding the sighting was probably just a big pet cat.